Found Missing (Decorah Security Series, Book #14): A Paranormal Romantic Suspense Novel by REBECCA YORK Page B

looked at Anna. “Why don’t you take Shelly down to the ice cream parlor?”
    When Art had designed the Mirador, he had copied a hotel he had visited in India. The luxury location had been a nice starting point, but since the patients had arrived, they and Lily had made suggestions for additions to improve the environs where they were confined.
    The Ice Cream Shop was one of Lily’s suggestions.
    “Can you come, too?” Shelly asked, a pleading tone in her voice. “I thought I was gonna get to hang out with you when I heard you were coming to the hotel.”
    Lily debated. There was nothing she could do for Corker at the moment, and maybe spending a little time with her sister after the traumatic incident was a good idea.
    She glanced at Mack. “We can take a few minutes, I think.”
    “Okay.”
    The whole group headed to the other side of the lobby, then out onto one of the covered colonnades that were a feature of the hotel architecture. In the heat of the actual Indian environment they would have provided needed shade. At the Mirador they were purely decorative.
    The adults strolled along. Shelly skipped beside them, obviously feeling a lot better than when she’d come into the arrival room.
    As they drew near the ice cream parlor, Shelly reached for Lily’s hand.
    “You’re not mad at me, are you?” she asked.
    Lily looked down at the little girl. “Of course not.”
    “But I wasn’t supposed to go into that room.”
    “It wasn’t your fault.”
    They reached the Ice Cream Shop, which was patterned after pictures Lily has seen in an old magazine from the fifties. It had chairs with bent-wire backs, round tables with marble tops, and a black and white patterned floor. White lattice panels decorated the walls.
    A young man behind the counter snapped to attention as they came in. He was another one of the staff who had been added to the program.
    “Help you?” he asked.
    “What flavors do you have?” Paula asked.
    “This week we have chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, chocolate chip . . .”
    “Do you have the mocha almond I asked for?” Paula interrupted.
    “Yes.”
    Shelly got her usual—chocolate chip with various toppings. Paula got her request. Lily chose strawberry, and Mack asked for his usual chocolate. It amused Lily to note that Anna copied Shelly’s choice. Although the simulacrum couldn’t taste the treat, she did a nice job of appearing to enjoy herself.
    Recovered from her earlier shock, Shelly chattered about the fun things she’d been doing. Although Lily tried to relax, she was having trouble concentrating. She was still thinking about Corker and what she could do to help him.
    Was his brain too damaged to function here? Was there some way to ease him into the environment? Could she arrange therapy sessions for him? And why, exactly, did he think he’d ended up in hell? She’d studied his background and thought he was okay, but perhaps he’d done some clandestine things that made him dangerous to the other patients here.
    Everybody was down to the last quarter of their ice cream when Lily’s phone vibrated.
    She saw from the screen that the call was from Terry Montrose.
    Excusing herself, she stepped into the colonnade.
    As soon as she clicked the phone button, Terry’s voice came through low and urgent.
    “Lily, I’m afraid we’ve got a problem.”
     
     
     

Chapter Seven
    “What’s wrong?” Lily asked.
    “Jenny Seville is missing.”
    “What? Did I hear that right?”
    Mack had come out and was standing close enough to Lily to hear Terry say, “Jenny Seville isn’t in her bed.”
    “That’s impossible.”
    “She’s not there.”
    “We’ll be right over.” Lily darted back into the ice cream parlor, stopping short when she saw the alarm on Shelly’s face.
    “Something bad happened,” the little girl said.
    “Nothing to do with you. It’s about the place where I work. I have to go back now, but you can finish your ice cream with Anna and